Court to music industry: Watch your language

Dear Los Angeles Times,

I know that uncritically adopting the biased and extreme language of the MPAA and other entertainment entities is really good for the whole not-shitting-where-your-sources-and-advertisers-sleep aspect of your existence.

But according to the Official Rules of Pack Mentality Journalism, now that a Ninth Circuit Court judge in Pasadena has taken the music industry to task for using words like "piracy" and "theft," you can officially have a "revelation" that p2p copying is actually not quite the same as raping and pillaging, and you can start using more neutral language.

To quote Judge John T. Noonan, addressing the entertainment industry side:

"Let me say what I think your problem is. You can use these harsh terms ["piracy," "theft"], but you are dealing with something new, and the question is, does the statutory monopoly that Congress has given you reach out to that something new. And that's a very debatable question. You don't solve it by calling it 'theft.' You have to show why this court should extend a statutory monopoly to cover the new thing. That's your problem. Address that if you would. And curtail the use of abusive language."

Please make a note of it.

Love,
Brian

MGM vs. Grokster

Link via Boing Boing and Copyfight.

(You can also see how I wrote this up in a less strident tone for LA.COMfidential.)